1965 Buick Riviera

A Buick ad for the 1965 Riviera stated that on the way to 1965, something
almost impossible happened. The Riviera got even better. And it did. In
fact, the styling changes to the 1965 cars were quite dramatic. The Riv
lost some unnecessary chrome, received a new front end appearance and a
new rear bumper and taillight design. The headlamps were now placed vertically
in the edge of the front fenders, and were hidden behind distinctive ribbed
chrome grilles that opened like a clamshell to expose the beams. This design
was the original intent of GM's chief stylist Bill Mitchell, and was illustrated
in the XP-715 project drawing. But as with so many innovations, engineering
hadn't quite caught up to the designers and the hidden headlights were
not ready for production until the 1965 models came out. And since 1965
would be the third and final year of this styling cycle, it's wasn't unusual
to see more changes than normal to create new interest in an aging design.

The ribbed clamshell doors were operated by a single electric motor placed
behind the front bumper, and they were operated automatically whenever
the headlight switch was turned on or off. This design was not without
its issues, however, with early models suffering from a failed relay that
prevented the covers from operating, due to the manner in which the relay
was initially mounted. A service bulletin was released that instructed
service departments to angle the relay so that water wouldn't seep in and
short it out. Another frequent problem was due to a build up of dirt on
moving components and the subsequent lack of lubrication of the arms that
rotated the clamshells themselves. This caused the motor to work too hard,
and eventually some of them burned out. Only one other General Motors car
was equipped with hidden headlights in 1965, and that model was the Chevrolet
Corvette, which utilized a similar motor, but the headlight assemblies
were built in to the forward edge of the hood, and the entire assembly
rotated when the lights were needed.

The front turn signals, which formerly occupied the area where the headlights
had been relocated to, were moved below the bumper and concealed behind
a matching ribbed grille. Continuing the ribbed theme, a $26.88 rocker
panel molding was made available, and was included at no charge when an
interior upgrade was ordered.

The chrome side scoop was removed, which really made the beautiful Body
by Fisher stand out. The removal of this one chrome decoration made the
car appear to be leaner, meaner, and lower. Perhaps it was just one less
thing to distract the eye from the overall brilliance of the original design,
but whatever the reason, it worked.

The taillights were moved from the panel below the trunk lid and were now
integrated with the one piece rear bumper. Wider than before, the taillights
were decorated with a chrome grille that split each lens in half horizontally,
and featured six fine chrome vertical lines. The back up lights were mounted
at the center most point in the taillights. The Buick Tri-Shield emblem
concealed the trunk lock.

A couple of dress up items were added to the options list for the first
time in 1965. At $110, the new black vinyl roof should have been a major
hit, but a late introduction of April 9, 1965 may have been too late to
create much excitement as just 2,006 cars left the factory so adorned.
A new chrome Buick wheel with exposed chrome acorn lug nuts, a charcoal
black recessed center section, and knock off hub was a $91.38 option, and
was significantly more popular than the vinyl roof.

Inside the new Riviera, the standard interior featured minor changes to
give it a fresh look. The instrument panel received a black camera case
textured finish from end to end, and the center console used wood veneer
that matched the veneer on the door panels. Standard interiors were upholstered
in vinyl, and had a sew style similar to previous models. They were offered
in white, black, medium blue, or saddle. As before, door panels had a small
arm rest and if optional power windows were ordered, the switches were
mounted on the door panel instead of incorporated into the arm rest.

Optional interiors featured Beaumonde Cloth inserts with vinyl bolsters.
Available in green, medium blue, black, or fawn (off white), the upgraded
interior was priced at $96.75. Full length arm rests were provided on the
doors and for rear seat passengers, along with expanded wood veneer inserts
that ran the length of the door as well as the rear quarter trim panel.
Optional power window and seat controls were incorporated into the arm
rests, and provision was made for rear seat passengers to open the door
by providing an additional handle at the rear of the door armrest.

If cloth upholstery wasn't your thing, an optional all-vinyl interior could
be ordered. For an extra $166.63, the all-vinyl upgraded interior was offered
in 3 colors: black, saddle, or green. On January 29, 1965, a 4th shade,
white was added. The sew style on the optional interiors differed from
the standard interior in that the seats featured a widely ribbed pattern
on the seat cushion and back, with an inverse triangular pattern at the
top of the seat backs. The new ribbed rocker molding was also included
with both interior options.

The convenience of a tilt steering wheel was provided as standard equipment
on all Rivieras in 1965, a nod to the Thunderbird's "Swing-Away"
steering wheel that had become very popular on that car. Since most potential
Riviera buyers in 1965 were also considering the T-bird, it made sense
for Buick to be as competitive as possible. Front seat belts were a mandatory
safety item, and as such were provided on all cars as standard.

60 days into production, a new Gran Sport option was released. For $306.38,
it included a package of performance and appearance equipment, including
the "LX" code 425 cubic inch V-8 engine with 2 4-barrel carburetors,
Positraction rear differential with a 3.42:1 ratio, a modified heavy duty
transmission, 8.45 x 15 tires, a modified exhaust system, special wheel
covers with spinners, and Gran Sport emblems mounted under the Riviera
script on front fenders and on the rear deck lid. Early cars with this
option featured a smaller Gran Sport emblem, which was enlarged mid-December
1964. At the same time, the rear deck emblem moved to the left side of
the deck lid, instead of being mounted under the script on the right. A
total of 3.354 cars were ordered with the Gran Sport option, making them
highly coveted collectibles today.

Often confused as being a part of the Gran Sport option, an optional handling
package that included heavy duty suspension and a quicker steering ratio
was available, but it was not included as part of the Gran Sport option,
and was available on all Rivieras.

To keep the base price down, Buick dropped the 425 cubic inch engine from
the standard equipment list for 1965. In its place, the 401 cubic inch
Wildcat 445 V-8 (code "LT") with 325 horsepower was installed.
This engine featured 4-barrel carburetion and required Premium fuel. The
425 cubic inch Wildcat 465 V-8 (code "LW") with 340 horsepower
was optional at just $48, which was quite a bargain. For even more performance,
a Super Wildcat 425 cubic inch V-8 engine (code "LX") was offered
at $188, and provided 360 horsepower. This engine was installed in 3,808
Rivieras, all but 454 of them into cars also equipped with the Gran Sport
option.

Despite the very attractive styling updates and new options offered for
1965, sales once again fell short of Buick's 40,000 per year benchmark.
Just 34,586 Rivieras came off the assembly line, making 1965 the lowest
production year to date for the model. An all-new Riviera would appear
for 1966, with new styling inside and out, and the personal luxury car
market would also become a bit more crowded with the introduction of the
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. The 1963-1965 Buick Riviera ranks near the top
of most people's lists when it comes to landmark styling, and these cars
proved that a luxury car could also offer performance and good looks without
tacking on a lot of chrome to justify its price.